Solitaire board



INVENTOR.

April 26, 193 8. H. w. MORSE SOLITAIRE BOARD Filed Jan. 24, 1958 Patented Apr. 26, 1938 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE '7 Claims.

My invention relates generally to game boards and devices and more specifically to a solitaire playing board upon which ordinary playing cards may be disposed and arranged in an orderly manner to facilitate the playing of games with the cards.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a game board for this purpose which has a plurality of spaced transversely extended pockets into which the lower portions of the playing cards may be readily inserted, in such manner that the cards will be retained in their desired arrangement on the board and yet will be sufficiently exposed to the view of the player so that the suit and value of each card may be determined at a glance. Another object is to provide a game board for this purpose wherein the card receiving pockets are provided with longitudinally extended separating members so arranged that cards inserted endwise in the pockets will be more firmly held, and so that cards inserted behind the members will be separated from other cards inserted in front of the members, in order that the cards may be moved without interference transversely past each other and from end to end of the pockets where such action is desirable. A further object is to provide a device of this kind wherein the board, whether of heavy cardboard, wood, metal or other suitable material, is coveredover its entire frontal or playing face with a fabric material, either elastic or non-elastic, and which material is folded back on itself in transversely extending pleats or flat folds which define card receiving pockets, the said folds opening upwardly but being secured at their ends to the board in such manner that the folds are held taut across the board. Still a further object is to provide a game board of the above character and in a simple, durable, inexpensive and attractive form.

The foregoing and other more specific objects will be made apparent in the course of the following detailed specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation or face view of my improved game board, several playing cards being shown as placed in the pockets, and portions of the covering material being broken away to better disclose the assembly.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section along the line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross section along the line 33 in Figure 1.

Referring now with more particularity and by reference numerals to the drawing, A designates a board or base member, constituting the main supporting element of my invention, and which may be made of any suitable material such as heavy cardboard, wood or metal. The board A, While herein shown as being rectangular, may 5 be of any desired shape and size and, however made, it is covered over its frontal or playing face 5 with the fabric covering or material B which is secured to the margins of the board in any suitable manner, as by the binding 0. This 10 covering B in accordance with my invention is provided initially in a single continuous sheet, considerably longer than the height or narrowest dimension of the board, and it is then folded back on itself at evenly spaced points to provide 5 fiat folds o r pleats 6 which extend transversely across the board. The margins of the face material, as well as the extremities of these folds 6, are then bound to the board, as indicated at C, with the folds turned upwardly to thus form a series of parallel, upwardly opening card pockets D which are defined and enclosed by the said folds. The aforesaid binding of the ends of these folds serves to retain them in upwardly turned position and also holds them in a taut condition against the frontal face of the board. To further secure the face material Bto the board, and to prevent it from sagging or loosening to such extent as to interfere with the use of the board, the material is stitched or otherwise secured to the board along the transverse lines I just below the upper margins of the pockets D. However, the folds 6 are left free of the board except at their ends as described.

The pockets D thus formed are extended in evenly spaced relation from end to end of the board and are well adapted to receive and retain the ordinary playing cards E when the same are thrust endwise behind the folds 6 down to the bottoms of the pockets, designated at 8. The 40 pockets are of such depth that, when the cards are fully inserted thereinto, about one-half of the entire length of the cards will be exposed to view in order to enable the player to determine at a glance both the suit and the value of the cards.

It may here be noted that the face material 13 may be of either elastic or non-elastic fabric, and under certain circumstances the use of an elastic material which is stretched somewhat as it is applied to the board A would enable a better frictional grip to be obtained upon the cards when they are inserted in the pockets. In either case the material may be readily folded and attached to the board as will be evident. The

drawing, illustrates the use of threeseparatepockets for the cards'but it is-to beunderstood i that any desired number of pockets may be provided. The covering B may also, of course, be extended over therear face of theboard A as well as over the frontal face thereof; 7

An important and advantageous feature of 'my' invention resides in the provision, as shown in the drawing, of the separating or parting strips or members 9' which are of narrow, elongated form, and are disposed longitudinally within'the pockets D some distance above the bottoms 8' thereof. These strips'B are of any suitable material such as heavycardboard; metal or fabric, 7 andrare bound or secured at their ends I tothe' board within the marginal binding-C. ar-

ranged in the pockets D, the strips Q'serve to separatecards which are placed behind the strips 7 from other cards placed in front of the strips, 20 v P the cards'may be moved without interference asshown in Figures land 3; in such manner that -transverselyvpast each other andfrom end to endiof the pockets where" such action is desir i disturbing influences.

able. These strips 9 also serve to' 'materiallyim crease the frictional grip on the cards by acting as partial fillers for the lower parts of the space occupied by the adjacent card portions. In fact, the frictional resistancethus created is found to be ample to'sustain the cards even though the board'may be angularlytilted as may often occur especially when carrying the device about. a V 1 From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a simple, neat and useful device,

by the use of;which a'single'player may expeditiously carry out the orderly and convenient arrangement of the playing cardsas may be required in the playing of different games. 'The device is thus ofutility and convenience to the player,and is of particular benefit to invalids and others where the use of the ordinary table is impossible; In. any case, however, the device is of advantage since the cards, when placed in" the pockets, are not readily disarranged' by the wind,.by moving the device about, or by other of any size desired; and maybe arranged to fold for the sake of compactness when not in use;

:It is to be understood that I may vary from thei's'pecific structural assembly as-herein set out in such manner as to best provide apractical' device for the purposes intended, provided that such variations: fall withintthe spirit and-the scope of the appended claims."

Having thus fully-set forth by-invention; what I claim asnew. and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: r r

on opposite sides of the strips;

Theboard itself may be r V 1. In a game device, a board; a fabriccovering a for the board,'the same being in the form'of a continuous sheethaving flat folds turned back on itself to retain-in place cards which may be thrust inside the folds, the said covering and the ends of the folds being secured'to the board and stretched tautly thereover; and a separating member extended lengthwisewithin the folds to thereby'sepa'rate cards inserted on opposite sides 1 of the said member.

2. A game device comprisingfarboardgxa fabric covering over the" face of -the board, the said covering having a series of flat folds turned back may be inserted, the ends of the folds being seon itself and forming pockets into which cards cured torthe board to thereby draw the folds taut across the board, and separating members extended lengthwise Within the folds and secured at their extremities to the board.

3. A game device comprising; a board, a fabric material over the face of the boardythe said material having aipluralityofflat folds'forming pockets into which cards may beinserted, and r separating strips extended withinthe folds and adapted to "separate'cards thrust within the folds '4. A game device comprising a board having 5 a series of elongated pockets into which cards may be inserted in playing the game, and divider v strips extending longitudinally in said pockets to as; T

divide the cards placed therein from'each other and to. increase frictional contact on the cards 5. A game device comprising' aboard having- 7 a series of elongated pockets into whichcards may be inserted in playing thegameand divider strips extending longitudinally in said p0ckets,to

divide the cards placed therein from each'other -v V and to increase frictional contact on the cards, l

said divi der strips being narrower in width than 7' i the depth of'the pockets.

6. A'game device comprising a boardhaving a series of elongatedopo'ckets into which cards may be inserted in playing the game, and di-' vider strips extending longitudinally, in said pockets to divide the 'cards placed therein, from, each other and to increase frictional'contactgon the cards, said divider strips being narrower in} width'than the depth of thepockets, and being disposedb'etween th'e upper and lower extremities V of the pockets. 1' a V i 7'7. A game device comprising a'board,flexible fabric material secured upon the face of. the

board and forming elongated card holding pocka the pocketsfor separating cards placedtherein and producing frictional contact therewith.

HATTIE we MORSE.

I ets, and means. extending longitudinally within 7 

